Lead Me Through Fire
by Sky-Pirate-Tat
Summary: A collection of Jackie x Kim oneshots.
1. A little bit of magic

**A/N:** Hey! These were all from JacKim week. I had a lot of fun with these and hope you enjoy them as well. First one is an AU where they are in college.

X

"Caramel Macchiato," the barista called out, and Jacqueline shot up from her seat, carrying her messenger bag heavy with books. Her shoulder cried out in pain and she contemplated switching sides, but the other shoulder was out of commission as well. No matter, she decided, she would just set her bag down later, though she knew that wasn't enough time to give her shoulders a break.

She graciously took the drink from the barista, whispering thanks before hurrying to the stage. The lights were dim and all that could be heard were mutters and sneakers shuffling backstage. There was still purple glitter on the floor from the performance last month- their first show here at Jacqueline's favorite coffee shop. Or, more accurately: the closest place to her dorm that also served coffee that could keep her up until four in the morning.

It was an odd nook, even in this college town. While most of the coffee places in the area focused on "in and out," this one presented a comfortable atmosphere and encouraged local entertainment in varying shades. On Friday there was an drag show, Saturdays it was burlesque. Sunday tended to draw in the crowd for "kinky Bingo." She wasn't sure what Monday and Tuesday offered as she had night classes those days, but on Wednesdays for the past month, there had been a magic show.

That first night they performed, her friends had joined her at her usual hangout for a study group session. Maka was skeptical about a live performance going on as they studied. Jacqueline had assured it wouldn't be a distraction- if anything, a little background noise would help. She couldn't stand to work in silence and sometimes her music player wasn't enough. She liked hearing snatches of conversation or being able to people watch. The scenery wasn't stagnant in that way and she didn't feel the threat of falling asleep like she did at her desk.

Soul welcomed the distraction- he was only there because Maka dragged him. Black*Star only came to sample their coffee and after two strong cups Tsubaki lost hope for any sleep later that night.

There was a small crowd, and even when the show started, the room continued to murmur about everything but the show itself. Jacqueline peered up from her notes, seeing a young man stand in the middle of the stage wearing a cheeky houndstooth suit and top hat. More eccentric than his suit was his hair- he was bald save for his sideburns which were styled into two separate spikes. Thanks to his garish appearance, Jacqueline stared for longer than she intended.

While she was able to hold back her laughter, Soul and Black*Star made no such effort, also pointing for emphasis. Their table felt the magician's gaze fall on them and Jacqueline put a hand on her forehead. She and Maka weren't sure who to feel embarrassed for: Black*Star and Soul or the magician with the weirdest hairstyle in history.

Maka pulled on Soul's ear, directing him back to his English homework. Jacqueline herself was prepared to return to studying as well, that is, until _she _walked onto the stage.

The magician had introduced himself as Ox and his lovely assistant (emphasis on lovely) was Kim. The first thing Jacqueline noticed was her long hair, dyed bubblegum pink and worn loosely past her waistline. She was dressed as eclectically as Ox, wearing a fluffy, pink-feathered cocktail dress with a matching headband featuring kitschy fake rhinestones. Unlike Ox, she made it work. Her outfit vaguely reminded Jacqueline of something one of the drag queens would wear for the Friday night show.

Jazz music played in the background, which Soul commented was the show's only redeeming feature. Tsubaki whispered that it reminded her of elevator music and Jacqueline had to agree.

The entire show, Ox floundered on stage. Sometimes his tricks wouldn't work or he would slur his words. Kim would slap him upside the head or knit her brows, hands on her hips. There were a few moments when she would perform a trick and it was clearly evident that she knew what she was doing. If she wanted to, Kim could easily do a solo act and Jacqueline wondered why she would put up with this mediocre show.

More pressing, when did she stop studying all together?

Jacqueline turned red, directing her attention to her books but not the words. Crap, she thought. She was falling into a puddle of goo over this girl who, was likely straight. Because they all were - or taken. Or both. That could be the only reason she could think of that Kim put up with Ox's terrible magic show.

However, as the month progressed, Jacqueline wasn't sure if that was so. Ox was obviously infatuated with his lovely assistant, but when they were together on stage she always brooded with her hands on her hips. On the occasion that he touched her shoulder or brushed his hand to hers, hopeful, she looked like a giant spider had landed on her shoulder.

After that night her friends didn't study with her on Wednesdays, unimpressed with her favorite cafe. They invited her to Tsubaki's dorm, but Jacqueline didn't take the offer. Her excuse was that she didn't want to drive out far, an obvious lie, she knew, watching Kim do sleight of hand, a dozen doves bursting through a satin pink scarf.

One of the doves landed on her book once and Kim ran over to pick it up after the show.

"Sorry," she muttered, scooping the bird up. Jacqueline nodded stiffly, head swimming. The only thing that brought her back to reality was the 'present' the dove had left in her book.

Deciding it was both sad and creepy to watch her crush from afar, she decided to take action. The caramel macchiato was still piping hot in her hands when Kim emerged from backstage, out of her poofy pink cocktail dress and into a casual steel blue tank top and ripped jeans through which fishnet stockings peeked out. In the span of short time Jacqueline had known her, she had shorn half her long hair. It was styled to the side tonight, bright pink waves tumbling over her shoulder.

Her eyebrows raised at the sight of Jacqueline. "Hey."

"Hi..." she replied steadily, holding the cup of coffee out to Kim. "Good job tonight."

Kim took the coffee, grimacing. "Oh, please. We sucked. We always suck." Despite her sharp words she was blushing slightly. "So, what did you buy me?" The brief flash of embarrassment was quickly replaced with a devilish grin.

"The barista suggested a caramel macchiato." Jacqueline bit her lip, hoping it was something she liked.

"Nice. Carla knew you were giving this to me, didn't she?" Kim popped open the lid, releasing the steam and breathing in deeply.

After a few sips, she spoke again. "You come here often."

"Yeah... I always study here at night."

"You're studying? Here?" Kim raised her brows, glancing sideways toward the stage where a new sheet of purple glitter was resting on the floor.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Jacqueline said crisply, confidently. "I like the background noise."

Kim tapped her pinky on the side of the cup, and then said in a low whisper, "I guess it helps to see a bigger failure when you're studying. Boost of self confidence." Immediately Jacqueline knew she was talking about Ox. She wet her lips, finding the opening.

"You could do much better." She meant the show, and something more.

Kim's answer surprised her. Maybe it was the acknowledgement that she was right, or maybe the carefree tone. Yes, that was definitely what caught her off guard.

"I know." She shrugged. "I'm only doing it because it's easy money. He gives me ninety percent of the earnings."

For a moment, Jacqueline felt sorry for Ox, more so than the countless times she had felt secondhand embarrassment watching him fruitlessly try to pull a rabbit out of his hat.

"It's not like I told him to do it." Kim said, reading her face. "He just throws money at me. It's not my fault if I take it if he chooses to do that on his own. The way I see it- since I'm the better magician I deserve most of the earnings."

"He loves you," Jacqueline said without thinking.

"As if that was a secret." She rolled her eyes. "Why do you care anyway?"

Jacqueline was grateful that her long hair was in her face, shrouding her shyness. She chose not to answer, a counter-productive move as it only gave away her reasons.

"Oh. . " Kim set the coffee down on the stage floor and stuffed her hands in her pockets. For a moment they stood there, eyes averted from each other, in an odd place, a limbo of being sure of the other's feelings, but unsure if they were just imagining things.

"Kim!" Ox called.

Jacqueline's spirits sank. Of course it was too good to be true. They were always straight. They were always taken.

"What's that behind your ear?"

She raised her head, not expecting Kim to still be there and of all things- leaning close to her, fingers running along the whorl of her ear.

Their eyes met and lingered as she pulled away. Jacqueline barely noticed the card Kim had produced, seemingly from behind her ear, and placed in her hands. Time had stopped, a cliche she thought only existed in cheesy romance novels. Kim's hands were soft and slightly cool to the touch. She felt compelled to cup her hands in the other woman's and warm her hands, but as soon as the thought came to her, Kim had to pull away, her name called again. After Kim ran backstage she looked at the card. It was a business card with a drawing of a tanuki on the front along with Kim's full name. She flipped it over to a phone number and email.

Not always straight.

Not always taken.

A little bit of magic.


	2. Healing

The last thing Jacqueline needed was her mother surprising her with a visit yesterday. It wasn't that she didn't love her mother- she really did. What she didn't love was the crippling anxiety she felt in her mother's presence. Somehow she felt like nothing she did was enough- her grades, the length of her skirt, even that uptight bun in her hair.

Even now that she was gone, Jacqueline felt exhausted. She stared at herself in the mirror, tugging on her skirt as if that would increase the length, and loosening up her bun.

She gathered her books under the crook of her arm, hand on the door. She looked over her shoulder. "Kim. Are you ready to go?"

She raised a brow as Kim emerged from her desk, neglecting to pick up her textbooks. "Hey, I have to pick Moses up from the vet. Want to come with me?"

Moses was a dog Kim had recently rescued from the streets. Although Kim had complained about paying for his booster shots, Jacqueline knew it was all show, seeing them play together. Consequently though, Kim was causing more trouble, blackmailing more students to fund the vet bills plus her own spending habits.

"I didn't know he was at the vet's again. We have class today. Can't you pick him up after?"

"Your mom visited. That's probably why you didn't notice. The vet closes when class is over." She pouted. "If I don't pick him up before they close I'm gonna get charged extra."

Jacqueline gave a resigned sigh, grateful that there were not any assignments due today. Usually when Kim made a request like this Jacqueline didn't outwardly show her discomfort, but spending time with her mother had expended her didn't understand why Kim couldn't just pick him up herself. After all, she had taken him to the vet by herself.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Kim asked again when they were halfway there. Self-conscious that they would be stopped for truancy, Jacqueline had changed out of uniform. Kim didn't change, shrugging, saying it would be a quick trip and there was no need.

Jacqueline shook her head, smiling slightly. Even if it was an inconvenience at the moment, she was grateful for her meister's company. She chuckled, remembering a time when Kim refused company at all. Now that they were partners, Kim didn't like being apart. The first semester after they became partners, they had gone over the course schedules to decide on their classes together.

"I'm hungry. Want to stop at this cafe?" Kim pointed at a small French-styled bistro, the store sign surrounded by macaroons decorated with Lord Shinigami masks.

She knit her brows, reading the sign aloud, "La Bo neee Boo kee. . .?"

"La Bonne Bouchée," Jacqueline corrected.

Kim leaned forward, reading over the menu displayed in the window. She looked a little relieved that the menu was in English and waved her hand to Jacqueline.

"Shouldn't we be picking up Moses?" she reminded her.

"I didn't eat breakfast yet."

Jacqueline raised a brow, prepared to put on her "straight-laced" armor and remind her meister again, that they were in a hurry. But then Kim pouted and that all went straight out the window. Before she knew it they were sitting down at one of the outdoor seats, going over the menu.

Since she already had breakfast (and she didn't want to stay long), she ordered a cafe au lait. Kim ordered an omelet with cheese and, insisting that Jacqueline should get more than just a drink, ordered a flourless chocolate cake for her.

_And who do you think is paying for this. . .?_ she thought to herself, glancing at the wine menu with fake interest. A certain vintage caught her eye, one of her mother's favorite wines. Yesterday during dinner her mother had been drinking the same red wine, taking sips in between fiercely criticizing her appearance and grades.

Why was her bun too tight? Why did she have two loose sections of hair? A ridiculous hairstyle. Why was she third in her class? Surely she could beat that young man with the hairstyle more ridiculous than her own. Why couldn't she be as sweet as that Albarn girl? Such a sweetheart.

The harsh criticism from last night was why she had been hellbent on going to class today, but it seemed Kim had other ideas. It was like the witch was doing this on purpose. While Kim did like having her way, she had also respected Jacqueline's desire to be an honor roll student, giving her peace to study, and until now she had never made Jacqueline late for class. So why was she doing this to Jacqueline and of all times when her mother was being more of a helicopter parent than usual?

For a moment she caught Kim peering up at her, wearing an expression the weapon had only ever seen when her meister's humanity was questioned.

Jacqueline pushed back her own worries and cupped her hand over Kim's. "Are you okay?" She glanced over her shoulder, thinking someone was staring at her partner for too long, perhaps with suspicion.

"That's my line."

Jacqueline blinked. ". . . What?"

Their food arrived, a welcome interruption. The cheese omelet was devoured within seconds while Jacqueline took small bites of the flourless chocolate cake. It was certainly delicious- and rich- she noted, holding her throbbing temple. But somehow, even though she was a little hungry, she didn't have the appetite. Kim ended up eating the rest.

"Hey. . . did something happen with your mom?"

Jacqueline ran a hand through her hair, twisting a strand nervously. She had never talked about her mother's disagreeable personality, ashamed that she felt any ill will towards the woman. She considered lying to Kim, but stopped.

Putting up barriers would weaken their soul resonance- possibly break it. And Kim had worked so hard to build a bridge, to trust Jacqueline with her secrets. She owed her meister the same respect. She wondered if Kim would think she was a bad person for disliking her own mother. . .

She told her everything, in a whisper: about the awkward one-sided dinner conversation, the shame built up inside of her since she could remember, and the suffocating weight of unrealistic expectations.

"What if she says something about you?" she finally said. "I don't want her to say you're not good enough for me as a partner either."

Kim squeezed her hand. "Let her. I don't care."

"Bu-"

Kim's hand drifted from hers. "Would _you _listen to her?"

Her voice caught. Kim was looking straight at her. And though she didn't say anything, knowing it was selfish to bring up, Jacqueline knew Kim was worried she _would _listen to her mother.

"...No," she said, more to herself than to Kim.

"Then why does it matter?" Her jaw relaxed, relieved by the answer. "Do what makes you happy, Jackie."

The bill was set on the table and instinctively Jacqueline reached for it. It was swiped from under her fingertips and she baulked, staring up at her partner in disbelief.

"Kim!"

"What? I can't treat you?" she replied airily. " 'Sides, I can always make more money."

Even after the bill was paid, Jacqueline couldn't make sense of what she had just seen. She watched Kim contemplatively the rest of the walk to the vet's and didn't say a word until her partner returned from the front desk of the clinic with Moses on a lead.

"Sorry to drag you on my errand."

Jacqueline shook her head, and smiled, releasing a surprise of her own: "Let's skip the rest of the day." It was almost noon anyway.


	3. A Good Day to Fly

When Kim thought Jacqueline wasn't looking, she dreamed about flying: about birds, about the wind rustling her short hair. She gazed out of the window on starry nights, wondering what it was like to reach those northern lights, to hover in flight with lightning bugs. Several of her fellow witches could fly, or rather hover in the air. But several witches also had a penchant for destruction and that Kim did not share. Her inability to fly was another thing that made her feel different from her own kind.

She wasn't so much sad that she couldn't fly because it proved she wasn't like other witches, but that she wanted to be free. She liked what the air represented, just as she liked the dependability and power of currency.

So when Jacqueline caught her wistfully staring out the window, of course she froze like a deer in headlights, and she could feel herself blushing, increasing her embarrassment. Staring into space like that cracked her stone-hearted swindler image. She coughed in her hand and grabbed a magazine from under her bed.

It wasn't the first time her partner had caught her thinking about flight. Last Halloween while Jacqueline was sewing a witch costume (they were going for irony in the costume contest), Kim had mounted the broom nearby. The wicked grin on her face had quickly melted, hearing the weapon giggle. Since then, when Jacqueline saw her stare off into space at the sky, whether pitch black or clear and blue, she had not laughed again. But she had smiled.

The mattress shifted under added weight and Kim looked up, her partner smiling gently as she ran her fingers up and down her arm. Her hand was warm and comforting, and though she wasn't ready to admit it yet, she couldn't imagine life without feeling her touch. She suspected the weapon already knew.

"Let's try it."

"Try what?" Kim asked, feigning ignorance. Reddening.

"Flying." Jacqueline said matter-of-factly. "I can already fly by myself."

"Yeah, I know." It was all Tsugumi and the other NOT students in the dorm talked about when Jacqueline did a class demonstration. That had been a year ago, before they were partners. Back then, when she heard Tsugumi dreamily recall the details, she did consider for a moment that maybe it wouldn't be bad to be partners with the demon lantern after all. The thought was fleeting, and she had quickly reminded herself she wasn't lonely, that she didn't need someone else. She would figure out how to fly on her on, but when she set her mind to it and tried, she couldn't.

She was able to cast spells outside her natural abilities, so long as she used a magic circle with the right materials and concentration. The ability to fly- or even to create an object of flight- was the only magic that eluded her. When she tried to tap into the flow, all she was met up with was solid wall, and her connection would break, rendering the magic circle and tools broken and useless, leaving her to start all over again.

She was hesitant to take Jacqueline's offer. "But can you really fly with someone else?"

"I've never tried!" Jacqueline admitted. "But I know we can do it."

Kim rolled her eyes, sighing. "How can you say that when you haven't even tried? I can heal us if we fall, but I'd rather not take the risk."

"Trust me."

Whatever retort Kim had at the ready deteriorated and her heart pounded. The first and last time her weapon had said that was the day she caught her using magic. Just like that day there was a fire in her eyes, gaze serious and headstrong. It was a tenacity that Kim both admired her for and was jealous of. Just by believing, the weapon lantern could do anything. She was just that stubborn.

"Fine." Kim huffed, masking her enthusiasm. "But if we fall, I'm not healing you."

The threat didn't sway Jacqueline's decision. She immediately opened the window. A rush of cold night air filled the room and Kim shivered. The chill abated when Jacqueline offered her hand.

"R-right now? Here?" She pointed out the window. "Can't we start on the ground or something?" She had intended to keep her voice as cool as a cucumber, but the longer she spoke, the more panic rose into her voice.

"We'll start on the ground, of course." She led her to the center of their dorm room, away from the desk and two twin beds. She took her other hand, and Kim didn't mind it when their fingers intertwined.

Soul resonance, Kim found was similar to magic. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She tapped into herself, her soul. She could feel her wavelength was erratic, slightly nervous, worried that like all the other times she had attempted flight, she would fail. She immediately sensed Jacqueline's soul reach out to her, but when she tried to grasp it, she fumbled.

They both jumped back, apart from each other.

"You're scared," Jacqueline said and there was no way Kim could dispute that after their link.

"I've tried to before by myself. Never worked."

"Maybe it's because you were by yourself," her partner offered. "Even birds don't fly alone. They use a V formation to help carry each other. I'll carry you, so don't worry about failing or falling, all right?"

"Well... it doesn't hurt to try." She took a deeper breath than before, clearing her mind of all insecurity to leave herself vulnerable. Jacqueline followed her lead, and though they were not physically touching, she could feel the other girl's energy rustling under her fingertips, itching to take form.

"Trust me."

Trust her... Kim said to herself. She inhaled again. The air smelled like burning coals and the air grew heavy with smoke, but she could still breathe effortlessly. The smoke could be parted even if it stood in her way. The stone wall she had felt before, barring her path when she chose, when she hoped to fly, was absent. She realized the smoke was that same stone wall, demolished by their combined persistence.

Her feet left the ground and her eyes snapped open, hands wrapped around a rod of hot metal: the demon lantern. Jacqueline. Her partner.

The witch was speechless, and she felt the weapon supporting her hum. She couldn't believe it. They were bobbing in the air, in their dorm, unfettered by gravity.

"We're flying," she whispered.

"Do you think you're ready to go outside?" Jacqueline asked gently. It was impossible to resist flight in this form, and her blood was boiling, aching to let go.

"Yes," Kim said, voice pure and definite, matching her partner's perseverance.

They lazily bobbed toward the open window, and before Kim could hesitate and look down, Jacqueline pushed them out into the open air.

"Death- dammit, Jacqueline!" Kim shouted, gripping her for dear life. She had ridden a motorcycle once and decided it was like this, only seven times as fast. Or maybe a thousand- the city below them was a blur and the wind bit into her skin like daggers. She shouted but the clouds muffled her words. Her mind blanked. She was forgetting who she was, what she was. Even her fear was forgotten. Her blood danced, head swimming, aware of only the cool clean air that whipped around her, and of Jacqueline.

They landed on a rooftop. The tiles didn't feel sturdy to Kim, whose legs still felt like jelly. Jacqueline shifted out of her lantern form and caught her, half-petting her head, half-tidying her hair.

"I'm sorry. It's difficult for me to contain my excitement in that form... it's like I become a different person."

Kim's fingers were stiff from gripping too hard, and her legs were still trembling as she caught her breath. Her hands were an angry shade of red and swollen. In the heat of the moment she forgot to put on the gloves she used for handling her weapon. Jacqueline frowned, sure that she had discouraged any interest her meister had in flying.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Jackie..."

Kim managed to sit up. She looked to Jacqueline, and then to the sky. A wild smile lit up her face, bringing out her cheeks rosy from exasperation and the cold.

"Let's do that again!"

Jacqueline was happy to oblige. 


	4. Before and After

She stared at her reflection in the dressing room mirror. The top was modest enough, a sweatshirt with a jade green sailor collar, however...

She flushed, staring at the skirt barely reaching her knees. She shifted her weight, the fabric falling with her, brushing the back of her legs. It almost felt like there was nothing there.

Before, Jacqueline would never consider this skirt. The other day she noticed her collection of uniforms were showing wear and Kim decided this was the perfect opportunity to go clothes shopping together. What she didn't expect was that her meister wanted them to wear matching uniforms, and while the idea in itself warmed her heart, she was quickly realizing their styles clashed.

"Well? Does it fit?" Kim suddenly peeked from behind the curtain, startling her. She jumped, immediately placing her hands in her lap self-consciously.

Without a trace of hesitation, Kim entered the dressing room, pulling the curtain closed behind her. She was wearing the same uniform as Jacqueline, and as Jacqueline thought, it suited her much better.

"No hiding," Kim said, taking her hands and moving them out of her lap.

Jacqueline's face reddened. "It doesn't suit me at all. . ."

Kim turned her around to face the mirror. "I think it's perfect! The color of the sailor collar goes well with your dark hair."

Jacqueline shrunk under the sight of her own reflection, averting her eyes. "It looks better on you, Kim." She squirmed. "And it's really short, don't you think? Maybe if I wore shorts underneath I could consider it. . ."

"But what's the point of a miniskirt if there's shorts underneath?" Kim whispered.

Jacqueline's eyes widened, feeling her meister's hand drift above her knee. Her gaze raised to their reflections in the mirror, watching Kim's hand trail upwards.

Abruptly, a knock came from one of the shop employees. "Are you finding everything all right? Do you need me to get a different size for you to try?"

Jacqueline blanched, voice caught in her throat. Kim answered for her as Jacqueline's face reddened.

After the interruption left, Kim pulled away, her hand on the curtain of the dressing room. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Hey. If you don't like it, you don't have to get it. I mean, it's not that important for us to match."

The weapon shook her head, "I. . . I changed my mind!"

"You sure?"

Jacqueline nodded fiercely, clutching the front of the uniform. "Maybe in time I can make it suit me."

"I'll ask them if we can wear it out of the store like this." Kim smiled. "And you're paying of course, right?"

"I expected nothing less." She sighed, calculating how much of her allowance she would have left after this.

"Don't worry, I'll buy us ice cream afterwards," Kim reassured, as if a bowl of ice cream was the equivalent of that cost.

Jacqueline couldn't find it in herself to argue, still thinking of Kim's hand cupping the back of her thigh, squeezing affectionately. She wondered if wearing this uniform would make it happen again.


	5. Lead Me Through Fire

**A/N:** My favorite out of this set.

Sometimes she dreams about her past, about herself in hordes, climbing up her present self and bringing her down.

Only recently, she dreams that she shakes her past self off and runs runs runs-

Until there is nothing but a door shrouded in flames, a single hand peering from the other side. Reaching.

She's hesitant to take the hand. Physical, emotional, all contact scares her. But the room is so so cold and her past is catching up to her.

The only way is forward and it takes several nights, several dreamscapes, until she takes the plunge and grasps the hand reaching out to her.

It pulls her forward, in a flash. So fast she doesn't feel the fire lick her skin. When she's back to her feet on the other side there is only the smell of clothes and hair burning and she's covered in ashes, wiping soot off her naked body.

She doesn't notice the hand that led her there, still holding hers. Not until she slips out of the dream and wakes with a start.

And she tries to remember what the dream was, but it's sand between her fingers. But she never forgets that for a moment she was not alone.


	6. Bubblegum

**A/N:** This is the last one of the set. Thanks to anyone to read and reviewed.

"What did you want to talk about?" Jacqueline finally asked. She shifted nervously in her seat, prodding at her ice cream. It was melting fast and she wondered if that was because she dawdled eating it or she was melting it.

Ox was perfectly composed, setting his spoon down meticulously. A dozen thoughts flashed through Jacqueline's mind before settling on the letter slipped between the pages of her textbook. She bit her lip.

"You like, Kim, right? So why did you invite me out for ice cream?"

"I figured this would be the best setting. This parlor isn't as busy during this time, allowing us the privacy to speak."

"That still doesn't answer my question," she said firmly.

Ox sighed, glancing to the side. "How should I say this. . ."

Jacqueline was losing her patience and her ice cream was a soupy mess. She was fighting the urge to shout at him to get on with it, but held strong, swirling her spoon inside the paper cup.

Ox gulped, perhaps catching onto her body language. ". . .You love Kim, don't you?"

Jacqueline jumped, her spoon falling to the floor. For a second her voice was lost to her and her lips parted, gradually forming words into a startled stutter, "W-what are you talking about. . .?"

It was too late to try to hide it. Her cheeks were stiff from smiling too hard out of nervous reflex, and also burning.

Still, she attempted some facet of composure and coughed before reaching down for her spoon. At least this way she could hide her flustered expression.

"I've seen the way you look at her," Ox continued, much to Jacqueline's chagrin.

"We're. . .we're just friends." She forced the words out of her mouth to assuage his suspicions. It only did the opposite. It hurt. Just friends? She hated that. She hated that the words were the truth and would give anything for it to be a lie.

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You're just like me."

She sucked in a breath, puffing her chest up, resisting the urge to shout again. Her hand squeezed around the metal spoon as she looked directly in his eyes. "You think it's weird for me to feel that way. Is that what the point of this meeting is?" The neck of the spoon was drooping, bending in half from the intensity of her hands, her pulse boiling with humiliation and untapped rage. She had always felt a spike of envy for the man: how he had professed his love for Kim so easily. She was also possessive now, afraid he would take what she yearned for with every inch of her soul, but more than anything she was jealous of him. How many times had the words teased the edge of her lips, only to be dashed away by the fear of rejection? And yet, he said it with ease, with a passion she only dreamed of expressing.

How long could she be content with just being held in her meister's hands in her weapon form? Even then her body ached, greedy for something more.

"It's not unnatural for a weapon and a meister to be together," Ox said gently.

Her grip on the spoon loosened and the metal cooled.

"I asked for your company this evening to encourage you."

She dropped the spoon again, suddenly confused. "B-but that doesn't make sense! You want to date her, so why would you do that?"

Ox bent down this time to pick up the utensil. He placed it in her hand, smiling softly. "It's not fair that I'm the only one to share their feelings with her. That would give me a crude advantage."

"She'll reject me. Surely."

"Before you, she wouldn't take anyone as a partner. You're her weapon now. There is a chance. And trust me- rejection isn't that bad. I would be more afraid to not tell her how I feel."

"And if she doesn't? How would that make you feel that I've taken her from you?" Their eyes locked.

"It would be hard," he admitted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "However, if Kim isn't alone, I can't help but be happy for her."

His words drifted, the topic coming to a close. He bought Jacqueline another ice cream and this time she finished it before it melted. They talked in-between bites, the conversation straying far from Kim or romance. When she finished he excused himself and apologized for selfishly bringing up the delicate subject. Before she left the ice cream parlor she bought a bubblegum-flavored ice cream to take home. Her heart raced the entire way, and somehow, despite how frazzled she had been, talking to him, she couldn't help but feel relieved to finally express the feelings she'd previously bundled up inside.

"Where were you?" Kim scrunched her nose when she opened the door. The meister was laying on her stomach in bed, looking up from her magazine.

Jacqueline set the bag of ice cream in front of her to answer the question.

As she rifled through the bag, Jacqueline held her hands behind her back, fidgeting with her fingers nervously. The words were at the edge of her lips again, "Kim. . ."


End file.
